 The Whitehall will be divided into two "more intimate" spaces |
An Art Deco theatre is to be split in two to bring smaller, more intimate productions and younger audiences to London's West End. The old Whitehall Theatre near Trafalgar Square will house a 100-seat and a 400-seat space to create the Trafalgar Studios.
The theatre first opened in 1930 and is owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Spokesman Howard Panter said: "We are extremely proud to be bringing these new venues to the centre of London."
He added: "We hope this will inject a new urgency, energy and excitement into the West End scene, attracting a younger audience."
The studios will open just before the Young Vic closes in August for a two-year revamp and its musical, Simply Heavenly, will transfer to the Whitehall in the summer.
Bawdy revues
The new spaces will resemble the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)'s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in size and design.
The first production in May will be the RSC's Othello, directed by Gregory Doran and starring Sir Antony Sher.
He said: "It has always been hard to find a space in London which replicates the Swan and to have the Trafalgar Studios is terrific."
The theatre was known for staging a series of bawdy revues during World War II known as the Whitehall Follies, and became famous in the 1950s for Brian Rix's farces.
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